1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to winding a filament pack, and, more particularly, to inline apparatus for cleaning and applying adhesive to an optical fiber while it is being wound onto a bobbin or canister.
2. Description of Related Art
Filaments such as wire or optical fibers are utilized in certain airborne vehicles, such as a missile, as a data link. In such a case, a length of optical fiber is wound onto a bobbin or canister, one end of which is connected to electrical apparatus aboard the missile and the other end of which is connected to control apparatus at the launch site. On launch, the optical fiber unwinds from the missile canister to maintain the data link.
It is the usual process to apply an adhesive to the fiber during winding of the filament stack on the canister in order to maintain geometric integrity of the wound stack during storage. Previous adhesive application methods have involved either spraying of the adhesive over each layer of fiber as it was applied to the canister, or, alternatively, using a syringe applicator with a closed "needle-like" die (e.g., pressureless die). Spraying techniques have been found to have inherent problems in providing consistent even coverage and are relatively time consuming to employ. The syringe approach, on the other hand, although it provides more uniform coating and is usually quicker than spraying, does not clean the fiber nor can the fiber be removed from the applicator if this should become necessary.
It can be shown that a substantial portion of the overall cost of an optical fiber wound canister is involved in just winding the fiber onto the canister. If the adhesive can be applied onto the fiber in-line during winding, this would reduce winding costs substantially over previous techniques of applying an adhesive by either the syringe or spraying methods. Estimates indicate that these costs can be reduced by as much as 30% over the prior techniques, other factors being held the same.
Additionally, improved adhesive application consistency and ability to unwind the fiber through the applicator to correct possible winding anomalies would greatly enhance the overall ability to wind a high quality canister.